Phyllonorycter rajella

Phyllonorycter rajella
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Gracillariidae
Genus: Phyllonorycter
Species: P. rajella
Binomial name
Phyllonorycter rajella
(Linnaeus, 1758)[1]
Synonyms
  • Phalaena rajella Linnaeus, 1758
  • Tinea alnifoliella Hubner, 1796

Phyllonorycter rajella is a moth of the Gracillariidae family. It is known from all of Europe, except the Iberian Peninsula and Greece.

Mined alder leaf
Larva

The wingspan is 7–9 mm. There are two generations per year with adults on wing in May and again in August[2]

The larvae feed on Alnus cordata, Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana, Alnus oregona and Alnus viridis. They mine the leaves of their host plant. They create a lower-surface tentiform mine, usually in the axle of a thick lateral vein. There is one strong lengthwise fold. Pupation takes place in a tough off-white cocoon that is attached to the floor and the roof of the mine. Most frass is incorporated in the sides of the cocoon.[3]

References


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